Speed limits reduced to 30km/h at over 100 schools across Kyrgyzstan

Over 100 schools across Kyrgyzstan have seen speed limits reduced to 30km/h in an effort to improve children’s road safety.

The widespread measures, which encompass all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, have been implemented on the recommendation of the Head of the Republican Traffic Police, Mr. Jenishbek Jorobekov. This development is greatly welcomed by EASST and our local partner NGO, Public Association ‘Road Safety’ (PARS), who have been advocating for speed reductions around schools as part of our regional initiative to improve school zone safety, supported by the FIA Foundation Advocacy Hub.

Children’s road safety is a critical issue for the Kyrgyz Republic where 23% of road crashes in 2023 involved children under the age of 16. Earlier this year Mr. Jorobekov joined EASST at our Regional Road Safety Summit in Tbilisi, Georgia, where school zone road safety was a core theme.

At the meeting, Mr. Jorobekov spoke of the need for more regulations related to road standards and speed management around Kyrgyz schools. On returning home, he held further meetings with PARS and set to immediate work piloting a speed reduction programme at over 100 schools across the country.

This is an important step forward for school zone road safety in Kyrgyzstan, with the Traffic Police now advocating for 30km/h school zones to be written into the country’s road safety legislation. EASST and PARS will continue to work with the Republican Traffic Police to support this effort. In particular, we will work to demonstrate the important impact reduced speed limits can have when implemented alongside strong enforcement and in conjunction with traffic calming infrastructure.

*Photos 1-2 above from guobdd_kg Instagram page.